Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-10-08

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About O year after Peter Get up his
household gods in the uptown block, the
city was visited by two noted female
apostles Of the temperance cause-Mrs.
Johnson Park and Miss Adeline Nary.
Their e%loquence Of speech, their gifts in
prayer, their organizing powers, their ac-
ceptance with the sisters everywhere, were
the theme of every tongue. Quiet Lydia
came home from her weekly meeting full
Of mild enthusiasm. She vas carried
away with sister Park. Never had she
heard such fluent speech, so clear, SO con
vincing, SO tender; and as for Sister Nary,
she never heard such a prayer as that
IN ~made-never!
And so she went on daily, for she left
the household to Betsey Ann and the cat,
and followed these two wherever they
went to preach or to teach, in the
churches, the halls, the-anywhere. Peter
could not but share in her interest; he
listened to her reports Of meetings with
both his ears and all his soul. He looked
upon Lydia as favored above measure,
and fairly pinned to have these wonderful
women admit the general public to their
presence, and allow theil to share their
gifts and graces; but the meetings SO far
were SO crowded with ome that there
was no place found for men.
One day Betsey Ann announced to Lydia
that Somebody's ben a-movin' into the
next house, Mis- Patterson; p'raps you're
goin' to hev neighbors that side, eff you
haven't got them t'other."
1t had been a mystery and a trial to
Lydia ever since she came to her new
home that her next door neighbors did not
call on her. She did not even know their
names. She saw a man leave the house
after breakfast and return before dinner,
II sometimes she saw a lady go out and
take the cross town cars; once she had
done that at the same time, but she lid not
quite dare to "Scrape acquaintance, " as
she termed it, and as there was no door
plate on that door, she could not address
the lady by name. 1t seemed a cold, I'M
christian way to live, but after q time she
became used to 1t, and in her interesting
meetings forgot this unpleasant state Of
things. The left hand house had long
been empty, but Lydia was not so san
guine about its new occupants AS her
handmade. Still, being from the country,
where we oil make it our business to know
every man, woman and child who goes
into or comes out Of the next houses, and
those across the street besides, Lydia
did turn a watchful eye on the new family.
She observed that they kept later hours
than she and Peter did, for night after
night, when Peter had locked every lock
and turned out every burner, when the
cat was slaughtering the innocents in the
cellar and kitchen, when Betsey was
snoring in the attic, and the worthy pair
themselves were safe in bed and asleep.
Lydia would suddenly wake, lift her deep
frilled nightcap from the pillow, and hear
ing the roll Of a carriage come up the
street, stop, q bell rung sharply, and doors
open and shut, she would remark to the
still slumbering Peter, ''Those folks next
door is pretty late birds" Yet she had
never caught a glimpse Of them for two
months after they were settled at her left
hand.
One dark wintry night there set in a
heavy rain, so heavy that neither Peter
nor Lydia thought il safe TO go ont, for
the water froze as it fell, and the streets
were a sheet Of wet ice; they were very
much disappointed, for that night Mrs.
Johnson-Park and Miss Adeline Nary
were TO speak in a grand meeting for
"both sexes" rs the advertisement spe-
cially announced. But Peter was too ro-
tund to trust himself out in such q state
of things, and Lydia could not so alone;
SO they passed q quiet evening by the Ere,
or rather by that hole il the floor which
represents the family hearth in city
houses, Peter reading aloud the latest pa
pers and pamphlets issued by the temper
ance party, and Lydia peacefully knitting
on o silk sock destined for her lord and
master.
There were some awful revelations in
those papers that excited Peter very
much; statistics as TO the amount OF
habitual drunkenness among the female
leaders OF society in the city shocked his
very soul; he read and rereed, commented
and groaned, till Lydia began to shiver at
the thought that all the rich and aristo-
cratic women in Gotham were in constant
danger Of delirium tre,ners In fact,
when bedtime came, and sleep descended
IN the eyes Of the worthy pair, they were
both dreaming OF reeling women in seal
skin and velvet, diamonds glittering in
their ears, and plumes waving above their
foolish faces, who blocked Fifth avenue,
and refused passage to sober folk, wien
they were simultaneously reused by q
sharp, imperative ring at the door bell.
Peter jumped, and hurried on his
clothes. Don't you come!' he smartly
addressed Lydia. Its probably murder,
or fire. You stay right there"
Lydia sank back obediently, and an
other loud peal hurried Peter to the door.
He stopped TO light the gas in the hall,
and as it flashed up, heard q carriage
drive away, and another ring smote on
his ear. He opened the door and the
light streamed on two women, flushed
Of face, dripping with rain, clothed with
old waterproof cloaks, disheveled curls
pceping from one hood, and q straight
rough bang from the other.
go off the steps, You drunken
wretchesl" screamed Peter, slamming the
door in their faces. Then he turned down
the gas and listened at the keyhole.
ooh, Janei how dfeadfull 1t must be
that brother Of Bridget's that was to come
as our waiter to-day; he don't know us,
Oh, l stagger so en- this wet icer"
Peter caught the words, dreadful"
and ''stagger," and nodded his head sa-
gaciorsly.
Again the bell rang flercely, md two
pair of hands assaulted the door. 1t
shook, but did not yield.
"Why don't you open the door, We
are frozen. Where is Bridget? We are
wet through. Let us in!"
Him! Evidently not used to cold
water" chuckled Peter, cropping his way
up the stairs, and finding Lydia quite pale
with fright.
ooh! OH What-what was it, PeterY"
"Nothing-nothing, my dear. Two
noop;fac+lv pat,r;otaI fap,oloc xvho w;obal